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Diamond Hill Academy

4.5 Rating
4 reviews
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Why choose Diamond Hill Academy?

My name is Shamser, I am the headmaster here at Diamond Hill Academy, and we are welcoming volunteers to contribute towards the bright future of the children. We have several projects to get involved in, including teaching English at the Academy, spending time with three orphan children living at my home, building houses, farming and helping with community projects.

My family and I most welcome you to join us and also give new ideas to help build a successful future for the community and children at the Academy.

Founded
2009

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Reviews

Daniel
Male
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal

A refreshing and interesting volunteering experience

May 24, 2013

Coming from Singapore, where the city life really gets to you, it was indeed a very refreshing experience I had during my stay here at Gaunshahar with Shamser and his family. The many opportunities that I had to experience the Nepali culture from taking the local bus up to the village to attending the wedding ceremony of a local villager really opened my eyes to a whole new world. I came with the idea of offering assistance and help to the community in whichever ways i could but at the end of it all, I received a lot from them too.

Shamser and his family are very hospitable and made sure that my stay here was a very pleasant one. The rooms and facilities, though basic, were by no means uncomfortable. Food here was great and Shamser's wife, Kalpana, prepared fantastic dal bhat and was always happy to offer us tea/coffee. They have a really sweet son, Pujan, who I'm sure everyone will have a lot of fun playing with.

Regarding the volunteering activities that I did here, I really liked the flexibility that was afforded. Shamser took note of our preferences and made sure that we could do an activity that we wanted to. I did quite a bit of teaching at the school and was really pleased to see that so many children could receive education in the environment of a school. I experienced some problems communicating with the children though, but Shamser and the other teachers were always ready and happy to help.

I also really liked Shamser's enthusiasm and passion to learn and improve himself. He is always on the move, looking to implement ideas that will help the children and the entire community. As a whole, it was a great experience to volunteer at Gaunshahar with Shamser and it provided me with a wholesome experience of what it is like to live in a Nepali village.

What would you improve about this program?
I did most of my volunteering activities with the school and found certain issues that could be worked on. The system that is in place currently can be strengthened upon as there is a lack of documentation of certain processes, like a student's report and the yearly curriculum, along with the progress of the class as a whole.
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Wytze
Male
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal

Wonderful experience to help Nepali village people

May 19, 2013

We arrived on a saturday, when there is no bus from Basisahar to Samsher's house in Gaunsahar. But Samsher was so kind to help us carry our luguage up the mountain, a 2 hours walk up to his mountain village Gaunsahar. Samsher is an extraordinary man with a vision to help his village community. He is full of energy and started several projects to help his community and is also very dedicated to his job as a teacher and principal at his school, the diamond hill acadamy.

At his house we did several volunteering jobs, including gardening and painting. One of his projects is to start a small homestay hotel where guests can experience the real Nepali mountain village life. With this he also wants to show his community that their village has a lot to offer and he wants to create new jobs, because there are not many jobs in the village and villagers are leaving to find a job in the city or work abroad. Part of the money from the hotel will be used to further help his community where needed.

We also visited his school and helped with English lessons and played with his lovely children. Samsher is not only a good teacher, but is also very open to learn from the volunteers. One of the problems he encountered at school is that some children cannot make their homework because they do not have anyone to help them at home. We suggested that a homework class might be helpful and Samsher took this up to dicuss it with his teachers and parents and within one week! he organised the homework class for 8 children, and we will start working in this class next week.

Gaunsahar is a traditional Nepal mountain village and the people and scenery are beautiful. And Samsher and his family are taking really good care of their volunteers to offer them a great experience and help his commnity at the same time. Absolutely worth the stay and a great experience.

What would you improve about this program?
Start the working day earlier. Sunrise is at 5.30 and work usually doesnot start until 9 or 10. For the work outside, it would be better to start earlier when it is cooler.
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Tim
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal

3 months in Gaunshahar

May 9, 2013

Well when I first got here the rooms were all full, but I got to spend a day at one teachers houses (it was very nice to experience a night with one of the staff in the traditional Nepali stone house). The accommodations at the the homestay are well constructed and there are plenty of blankets. The kids are a lot of fun, and I brought a Phonics program that we started at the first of the year (two weeks ago). Already most of the UKG class (Upper Kindergarten Group) is speaking more clearly, of course some kids are not interested but every class has a few. I asked to be included in any village activity that had benefit, and have been apart of many activity's. I and one other person sponsored a new roof for a widow of the lowest cast that has two children. Also I helped in building a new addition for the homestay (moving and breaking rocks, running electric, and some carpentry). Another building project I was involved with was a roof repair (working again with the person who co-sponsored the roof for the widow) and made many new friends for the donation of my time. Also there was a big festival and we organized a clean up crew of 4 people (volunteers). I made a couple rakes from bamboo and we did in three days what was projected as a 50 person clean up task (also inspired some of the children to help the last day after school) 9 children came after watching us work for two days. I did get sick one time but every one did (even Shamser), I think it was just a bug going around. I have had three meals a day freshly prepared by his wife and always very tasty. When I came I brought solar panels and batteries for the school (they do not have electric yet...) which has allowed us to bring laptops to play educational videos in the classrooms. Every day has been different and slightly chaotic, but all in all thing go forward at "Nepali speed" here in the village. Some more organization is the only thing missing but I have enjoyed every day but our sick day.

What would you improve about this program?
As I said above, the organization is shaky sometimes, because many volunteers are asked for input and that can lead to confusion (too many ideas at once).
Angharad
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal

A fantastic opportunity not to miss

May 2, 2013

Shamser's project is an inspiring and worthy programme that I have had the pleasure of taking part in, you would be lucky to spend any length of time volunteering at Diamond Hill Academy and meeting the locals that benefit from the volunteers.

Shamser's approach to education is refreshing and personal, and that is shown in the respect and positivity so evident in the pupils at the school. Undoubtedly, these children (that, if it wasn't for Shamser, may never have seen a white person before) are benefitting from their interaction with the foreigners, and of course, developing their English skills at a much faster pace.

The location of the village and its beautiful lifestyle is an experience in itself. Located up a mountain, with incredible views of the surrounding mountains and far away from any city life (though Besisahar is reachable in one hour by bus if you do need to visit the city) it is a peaceful, untouched gem of nature and a true introduction to real Nepali lifestyle. Shamser's wife's fantastic cooking adds to the authenticity of the stay here. Shamser is enthusiastic to take volunteers on walks, meeting the locals and also explaining the very interesting history of Gausisahar.

The locals here also benefit from the volunteers, there are many ways in which you can contribute to their lifestyles - farming, carpentry among other things, and generally the cultural exchange enriches their lives.

Shamser's orphan children that he is hoping to adopt under his own roof have brilliant potential, and with the help and support of present, past and future volunteers they can achieve the lifestyle that they deserve.

I truly recommend volunteering with Shamser, you certainly will not regret it!

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Wytze van der Naald

Program
Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal
Wytze van der Naald (54) stayed with his partner Astrid van de Ven stayed at the Diamond Hill Academy project from June 11 - June 29, 2013. They are from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and they previously worked for non-profit organizations. Both are travelling at the moment and have volunteered around the world for the past 18 months, to meet people and experience other cultures.
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Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with Diamond Hill Academy in Nepal?

The Diamond Hill Academy project is all about supporting a local mountain village community and that is what appealed to us in the first place. We decided to volunteer with Diamond Hill Academy because we got a very prompt and enthusiastic reply from the host, Samsher Thapa, when we contacted him for more information on the project. My partner and I have been volunteering in several countries, including Nepal, Thailand and Malaysia. It is a very good way to meet the people and learn the culture of a country, and also to meet other volunteers/travelers, and most importantly, to support local communities. It was clear from the first contact with Samsher that we could directly help a local community with this project and therefore the decision was easy to make.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

We arrived in Gaunshahar on a Saturday, that is the weekly day off in Nepal. It was a good day to arrive and meet the host and his family, as well as the other volunteers. Samsher took us on a little tour of the village where we met some of the teachers of the Diamond Hill school. We were invited to drink tea and have a 'snack' in their homes and it was an excellent introduction into the local way of living in Gaunshahar. The first two days we helped the host family around their house where they were reorganizing the accommodation for volunteers, which was nearly finished when we arrived. We then were introduced at school and helped with English lessons and Math. The children were clearly used to volunteers and very nice and interested in us.

Usually a 'working' day for the volunteers runs about 4-5 hours per day. Samsher is very eager to learn from the volunteers himself and we had long conversations with him on various subjects. This resulted in a new project that we started after the first week: a homework class. Some children do not have the appropriate help at home with their homework and we started a homework class one hour before school starts and one hour after school finishes. After the first week, we had already received very positive feedback from parents and teachers because the children were making progress. Most importantly, the children loved it and we expanded from 8 to 12 students in the first week and an extra self-supporting class was started by some of the students themselves!

If you could go back and do something different, what would it be?

With the experience at the Diamond Hill Academy I now have, next time I would bring some learning materials and some English videos for children. The school has the basic learning materials (books), but is lacking supporting materials that can make lessons more appealing and can help to develop their learning skills, like counting materials, or materials to use in the lessons and video materials. We did download some things, like songs, but there is a need for other basic materials.

I would also bring some typical Dutch things with me. Gaunshahar is a very poor mountain village and children don't have much to play with at home and don't have access to internet. In fact, Samsher is the first one in Gaunshahar with an internet connection. So there is a lot the children can learn from volunteers, including from their home countries.

Lastly, I would plan to stay longer. Especially when you want to teach you ideally would need a week to follow some of the teachers and learn about the school educational program before you start teaching yourself. That also helps to get to know the children better and for them to get to know you.

Was it difficult to navigate around language barriers?

Generally speaking it was not a problem to navigate around language barriers because some of the teachers spoke English as well as some of the older children, and they helped in the class. Only with the very small children in the homework class was it a problem in the beginning. We discussed that with Samsher and then he asked a Nepalese teacher to help us with the homework class, which was a real improvement. Of course a lot of people don't speak English, but with a 'namaste" ("good day"), a smile and hands and feet you usually will find your way around. The village people are very friendly and appreciate the work volunteers are doing, therefore language was not really a barrier for me during my stay.

How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, etc)

We stayed in Gaunshahar at the Diamond Hill Academy project as volunteers for only two and a half weeks, but that was a fantastic time and we learned a lot about the traditional lifestyle in the Nepalese Himalayas (and enjoyed the great scenery of the massive snow mountains!).

Even though we stayed only for two and a half weeks, we feel that we really have contributed to the school development en help the teachers and children. So the time we spent there was absolutely worth it and I wish that we could have stayed longer. Samsher is a person with a real vision and a lot of energy to help his community in several ways and that is very inspiring. Especially because he does not want to change the traditional lifestyle, on the contrary, he wants to help to give his community a new perspective and hope that will prevent the villagers from leaving the community to seek their luck in the city or work abroad, which is happening now. A part of being a volunteer is also that you are introduced in the traditional lifestyle, and it was no problem to help in the kitchen and on the land when we asked for it because we wanted to learn more about the the way they live.